Ortiz vs Berto: Team Ortiz Agrees, No Interim Fights Before June 30 Rematch

Yesterday, promoter Lou DiBella said that his fighter Andre Berto would be ready to reschedule his highly-anticipated rematch with Victor Ortiz in late June, and that nobody would have interim fights, and simply go straight into the rematch as was planed for February 11.

Today, the Ortiz camp weighs in, and manager Rolando Arellano agrees: No interim fights, no tune-ups, just the Berto rematch is on their mind. From Ryan Maquiñana:

"Showtime is paying for the fight. They’re paying licensing fees, marketing, and they’ve spent a lot of money going toward the ancillary materials for the prefight production, so we’re going to act in good faith for the rematch."

The new target date is June 30, and Arellano says that the MGM Grand isn't set, but if they can't make the fight there, it could move over to Mandalay Bay.

Arellano also notes that Ortiz isn't concerned about what will be a nine-month layoff at the time, adding that he constantly stays in shape. Berto will also have been off nine months and have dealt with this bicep injury, so there shouldn't be any advantage to anyone, and while it's definitely longer than would have been preferred by anyone, it's not so long that enormous rust should build up for Ortiz.

On the topic of Robert Guerrero, who attempted to insert himself into the discussions, Arellano says that Guerrero needs to get himself back in the mix:

"We’d like to see Robert fight Victor, but he’s got to get himself back in contention first to get back in the mix. But we’re committed to Berto, and Berto’s committed to us. Showtime’s committed to us."

I guess that puts Guerrero back at the drawing board again. As much as I do admire his willingness to fight the best, maybe he should just find someone to fight instead of waiting for openings to secure something really big.